Anniversary
by KatBauer
Summary: The one where Grant Ward tries to do things the right way. [Part 4 of the Married in Vegas AU]


He wakes up to the feeling of fingertips lightly tracing his spine, drawing random patterns over his bare skin, and a smile instantly tugs at the corners of his lips.

"I know you're awake," Skye whispers, shifting next to him so she can set her chin down on his shoulder. She's half lying on top of him now, smooth skin, warm and soft against his, and he can't find it in himself to move.

"What time is it?" he asks.

He feels her lift her head to check the clock on the nightstand.

"Almost six," she answers. She wraps both arms around his torso and presses her cheek against his shoulder blade. "S'too early," she whines.

And he laughs.

He's been doing that a lot, lately. And although it's not an entirely foreign sound to him, the fact that it's now a daily occurrence, still amazes him.

_Skye._

There are many, many regrets in his life.

And there have been many, many bad choices. Things he's not proud of.

This is definitely not one of them.

"I'm still your SO, Skye," he points out, and even though he really tries to sound serious and professional, he fails miserably. "Training in thirty minutes," he adds, earning a protesting groan from her.

She stays quiet for a moment after that, and then he feels a soft kiss being pressed against the back of his neck, her fingers ruffling his already mussed hair.

"You do know SO stands for _significant other_, right?" she says.

He grins, and in a swift movement that takes her completely by surprise, he flips their positions, pinning her against the mattress.

Training can wait, he decides.

**xxx**

He starts wearing his wedding ring.

Everyone knows by now, so he figures there's no point in hiding it anymore.

He doesn't mention it, though. So when one morning he hands Skye her mug with coffee and she sees it, her eyes go a little wide in surprise, and she gives him this look that is both hopeful and almost _shy_.

And his chest suddenly feels tight, because they both know what this means.

_This is real._

There is no going back now.

Skye leaves her mug on the counter and grabs a fistful of his shirt, pulling him down and kissing him in a way that makes his head (and his heart) spin.

He never wants to go back.

**xxx**

Their first argument, that quickly escalates into a fight, happens right after one of their missions. Things didn't go nearly as bad as they could have, all things considered, but the entire team is bruised and battered.

They are all (Simmons, especially) too preoccupied with patching eachother up and then too busy analyzing the new data they've managed to recover, to actually notice that Ward has mysteriously disappeared from the scene.

So when Skye finds him, hours later, hiding in the bathroom while trying to stitch himself up, after he had repeatedly assured Simmons that he was fine, all hell breaks loose.

What follows is a blur of angry yelling, slammed doors and then a deathly silence.

When he goes back to his bunk that night, she's not there waiting for him, like she always is.

And suddenly he feels like he can't breathe.

He _needs_ her.

He turns around and slides the door open, only to find Skye already standing there, wearing nothing but an oversized shirt (_his shirt_) and eyes red and puffy.

Neither of them say a single word. There's no need to.

He scoops her up in his arms and sits down on the bed with her on his lap, cradling her protectively against his chest.

"I'm sorry," he whispers into her hair.

"You're an idiot," she answers, clinging to him. "What the hell were you thinking? You could've bled to death, right there, _in our bathroom_."

"It was nothing to worry about," he says.

"Six stitches sounds a lot like _something_ to me," she scolds him.

"I'm sorry," he says again. "I didn't mean to scare you. Simmons had her hands full, I thought I could handle it myself."

"We're _a team_, Ward," Skye says, pulling back so she can look him straight in the eye. "We take care of eachother. And you and me? We're _partners_. You don't get to hide things like these from me."

She wants to be angry, to yell at him for being so reckless, but when he looks at her like she's the sun, the moon and his _entire universe_, all words get caught in her throat.

So instead, she pushes him down and kisses every inch of him.

**xxx**

"Sir? Do you have a minute?" Ward asks, poking his head into Coulson's office and knocking softly on the doorframe.

Coulson looks up from his paperwork and motions for him to come in.

"I need a favor," Ward says, after clearing his throat.

"What kind of favor are we talking about?" Coulson asks.

"I would like to take the weekend off, sir."

**xxx**

"Hey, have you seen my ring?" Skye asks that night. "I thought I'd left it in the bathroom but I can't find it anywhere."

"Sorry," he says, shaking his head. "Did you check your bunk?"

"Yeah," she answers with a pout. "It's not there."

"Don't worry," he says, kissing her forehead. "You'll find it soon."

**xxx**

"So, where are we going, exactly?"

"That's classified," he answers without taking his eyes off the road.

Skye rolls her eyes and draws her knees up to her chest as she turns to look out the window. They've been driving along the coast of Nova Scotia for the past forty minutes, and even though the view is ridiculously gorgeous, something doesn't feel right.

Ward glances over at her and his brow furrows in concern. She's been quiet, far too quiet, for his liking.

"Are you alright?"

She worries her bottom lip between her teeth and wiggles her fingers in front of her, a guilty look crossing her face as she stares at them.

"I lost my ring," she says.

And now he's the one feeling guilty.

"Hey," he says, reaching over to take her hand and lace their fingers together. "It's okay."

"I'm a terrible wife," Skye says, running her fingers through her hair with a sigh.

Ward's frown deepens at that, and so he tightens his hold on her hand, trying to comfort her. "Nah, you're fine," he says, and that earns him a soft slap on the arm.

But at least she's smiling now.

**xxx**

They arrive at the inn later that night, and Skye gapes when Ward opens the door to their room.

Not only it's the biggest room she's ever seen in her life, but the view of the beach and the ocean through the open window, even in the darkness, takes her breath away.

He watches, amused, as she stands there, wide eyed, taking it all in. And he can't help himself, he wraps his arms around her waist from behind and nuzzles his face into her neck.

"You like it?"

"I'm- _Yeah_," Skye's eyes are still wide and Ward laughs because it seems that for the first time in her life, Skye doesn't know what to say.

"Good," he says, kissing her cheek. "I have something for you."

That instantly gets her attention, and so she turns around in his arms, eyes bright with curiosity.

"Happy anniversary," he says as he opens his hand to reveal a tiny satin bag.

Skye looks down at his palm and carefully takes the bag, slowly pulling at the laces and opening it.

"Is this… _my ring?_"

"Yes. No. I mean-" he trails off, looking somewhat guilty. "The ones we got in Vegas were-"

"Cheap?" she supplies, arching her eyebrows.

He chuckles. "Yeah. So I thought you'd like to have one that is… nicer."

Skye gingerly holds the ring between her fingers and carefully inspects it, while Ward swallows and looks like the epitome of nervousness, waiting for her reaction.

The wedding band is pure gold, and it feels cold and smooth against her skin, and, she quickly notices, this one has a date engraved on the inside, along with his name.

Skye traces the engraving with her fingertip and bites her lip.

"It's beautiful," she says, voice thick with emotion, and he lets out a relieved sigh.

"Here," he offers, taking a step backwards. "Let me-"

He takes the ring from her and slips it on her finger, bringing her hand up to his lips to kiss it.

"Can I see yours?" she asks, cheeks flushing pink at the tender gesture.

He nods then, and fishes his ring out of his pocket.

"_Skye Ward_," she reads out loud the engraving, and he grins proudly.

"Happy one month anniversary," he says, pulling her against his chest and kissing the top of her head.

**xxx**

"Skye?"

"Hmm?"

She's currently lying flat on her stomach on the bed, half buried under the covers.

He runs his hand over her bare, exposed back and she squirms under his touch, turning her head to look at him.

He smiles at the still half asleep look on her face.

"What?" she asks.

"I have a question for you," he says.

Skye frowns at that and she promptly hides her face against the pillow. "You said we had the weekend off," she whines, her voice muffled. "No pop quizzes until Monday!"

He shakes his head, and leans in to kiss a path along her shoulder. "Skye," he insists, lips now pressed against her ear.

She sighs, defeated, and rolls onto her side to give him her full attention.

"Would you marry me?"

Silence falls upon them as Skye stares at him, trying to figure out whether he's being serious or if he's joking.

"We _are_ married, Ward," she points out.

But before she can say another word, he pulls out a velvet box from under his pillow and offers it to her.

Skye blinks up at him with confusion, but takes the box anyway, opening it to reveal an engagement ring.

"Wha-"

"I want to do this the right way, Skye," he says. "I want to be able to actually remember marrying you. And I want it to be your choice."

Skye pulls her bottom lip between her teeth as she stares at the ring, and then lifts her head, her gaze meeting his.

There's hope in his eyes, and a hint of something that resembles fear, too.

As if her saying no was actually a real possibility.

Ward takes the ring out of the box and Skye's heart begins to race when she notices that his fingers are trembling slightly as he slips it on her finger, next to her (new) wedding ring.

When he's done, he looks at her and the sheepish grin that he gives her, tugs at her heart almost painfully.

She throws her arms around his neck, effectively knocking him off balance, and they both end up sprawled on the bed, with her on top of him. She grabs his face and kisses all over it, smirking when she hears him laugh.

"Is that a yes?" he then asks.

"I already married you, dumbass," she says, breath catching in her throat at the way he's so intently looking at her. "But yes, let's do it again."


End file.
